After Earth

The Importance of Taking Notes

Contrary to popular opinion, I am not the kind of DM that likes to repeat himself at the table. That having been said, it is very important that players take accurate notes each week during game sessions. If you hack a computer terminal and discover an administrator password, you might want to jot it down in the downs. It might not seem important but if you wish to hack the same terminal again later that password might be important. To the DM, notes represent the information your characters deem important. If you didn’t take time to write it down in your notes when it was presented by the DM, then it wasn’t important enough for your character to easily remember it later.

Recalling Information. If you character does not remember the pertinent information learned from a past game session due to not adding it into your personal character notes or simply because you thought you might be able to remember it in a pinch, no sweat. To recall a piece of information your character learned that you didn’t put in your notes, a simple Intelligence check is all that is needed. If you pass at the DC set by the DM based on how long ago the information was revealed to your character, then the DM will give the information a second time (keep in mind if you didn’t write it down back then, this would be the opportune time to do so). If you fail the check, your character has completely forgotten the information due to the relentless march of time. No further check will be given since this type of check counts as a Knowledge check (one and done). The DC is based on the time that has passed, with one year or more being the highest DC. Characters rarely recall anything easily after a year unless they took time to commit to rote memory to begin with…